


Bruises They Left Behind

by 13beautifulghostmonument



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:21:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23106139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/13beautifulghostmonument/pseuds/13beautifulghostmonument
Summary: Alternate ending for The Timeless Children. Yaz, Graham and Ryan rescue the Doctor from the ruins of Gallifrey.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 56





	Bruises They Left Behind

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate ending to 12x10, The Timeless Children.  
> For argument's sake, they landed just outside the boundry in the TARDIS together before the events after took place. 
> 
> Title is from Lewis Capaldi's Bruises.

"Doctor!" Yaz shouted in desperation and also relief as she turned the corner to the very centre of the citadel. 

The Doctor lay helplessly in the middle of the room on top of a podium, seemingly unconscious. She looked extremely small, Yaz thought. Almost like a child had decided to take a nap at the first sign of being tired. The three of them ran towards her before crouching down to help, Yaz immediately placing two fingers on the inside of the blonde's wrist. She could feel the steady beat of two hearts, at least. She wasn't dead. 

"We're here for you, Doctor" Ryan sympathised, offering comfort, hoping she could hear them. 

"She's got a pulse, right?" Graham queried, worry and concern etched into his voice. 

Yaz nodded. "Yeah, but it feels slow. At least I think it does considering she has two hearts. It's hard to tell to be honest. Doctor, what happened to you?" She whimpered. Seeing the Doctor unconscious and helpless was hard to bare. 

"We need to get her out of here" Graham suggested, Ryan and Yaz nodded in agreement. 

Yaz went to place her arms beneath the girl before Graham stopped her. "It's okay, Yaz. I'll carry her. You guide the way out of here" Her eyes flicked back to the girl on the floor, wanting desperately to take over but instead, nodded.

Shifting her form slightly, Graham placed his arms beneath the Time Lord before using all of his upper body strength to hoist the girl up into his arms. She was perhaps a lot lighter than Graham had anticipated, making the manoeuvre much easier. 

With the Doctor now in the safety of Graham's arms, Ryan and Yaz led the way out of the citadel and back towards the boundary, avoiding pieces of debris, rubble and the odd spot of fire along the way. 

Stepping through the boundary was like having the most concentrated gust of wind being blown at you in a matter of seconds, Ryan thought. It made his balance wobble and he was glad he wasn't the one carrying the Doctor otherwise he would worry he would drop her as they stepped through. 

They left Gallifrey and saw the TARDIS parked on the clifftop where it had been left earlier that day. Before the chaos happened. 

Yaz opened the TARDIS doors as the ship gave a gentle hum in concern for her stolen Time Lord. Graham sidestepped in, careful not to hit her limbs on the doors. Where before it was the Doctor who was always the strong one, looking out for the humans, it was her who looked fragile and small in comparison. 

They hurried down the corridor and into the Doctor's bedroom, a gentle glow of stars shining down above them. Yaz moved back the quilt before Graham placed her down, stretching at the weight being finally lifted from him. 

Yaz placed her hand on the Doctor’s forehead, feeling the intense heat hit radiate onto her own skin. “She’s boiling.” Yaz’s face fell in concern and sadness for the girl who lay in front of her. “What happened to her, do you reckon?”   
  
Ryan turned on his heels. “I’ll grab some stuff for her.”   
  
Whilst Ryan left the room to grab supplies, Yaz gently loosened the laces on her boots before slipping them off and placing them on the floor next to her. She wanted to remove her coat as well to make her more comfortable but she didn’t want to wake her up that way. She looked pained but at the same time, an element of peace was drawn on her face. 

Ryan returned, juggling anything he thought they would need to help their friend. A bottle of water, a wet cloth, painkillers, a hot water bottle and more blankets. He wasn't sure if he had overdone it really. 

Yaz took the cloth straight away and placed it upon the Doctor's forehead, the material just covering the very tops of her eyelids where it was so wide. The Doctor's face adjusted slightly as the cool temperature of the cloth dampened itself on the Doctor's skin. 

She stirred as Yaz bought the duvet up across her body. Taking the Doctor's hand and placing another on her shoulder, she spoke gently. "Doctor? Are you awake?" 

The Doctor hesitated, her eyes still closed. Her brain hurt. She felt physically and mentally exhausted, more than she had done for a long time. Her eyes fluttered open, as if deciding whether or not to risk seeing anything that might hurt her brain further. The Doctor saw Yasmin Khan sat in front of her, feeling her hand stroking her hair gently, soothing. "I'm awake." She stated, before closing her eyes again. 

"Would you like to tell us what happened out there so we can help you get better?" 

The Doctor thought. More happened in the space of an hour or so than she could even comprehend. She hadn't processed any of it herself, let alone tell it in a way that would make sense to the others. A part of her wanted to be alone right now, to mull over her thoughts and make sense of what her life was and what it meant. However, given what she had learnt, she also didn't want to be alone. The three humans surrounding her were her friends, her family. She needed them more than they needed her. And right now, they were willing to look after her. "It's a story for another time when I've made sense of it but in short terms, I blew the Time Lord matrix with my mind to get myself out of a situation. It wasn't pleasant but I'm here to tell the tale." 

Graham thought about this. "So what you're saying is, you have a headache now?" 

"More than a headache. Think of it like an extreme migraine. Your brain feels like it's been turned into mush, everywhere aches and you're experiencing nausea. That's how I'm feeling." 

Ryan passed over the bottle of water and the painkillers. "Here's something that will help then. Take these and keep yourself hydrated." 

The Doctor eyed the tablets up suspiciously. "They're not aspirin, are they?" 

"No!" Ryan stated. "We know not to give you aspirin. Poisonous to Time Lords, remember?" 

He was good. They all were. But even that got her thinking. If she wasn't a Time Lord, who was she? Thinking right now was bad, she decided. She didn't have the energy for it and it hurt to do so. Now was not a time to think. Her head needed time to sort itself out. Taking the painkillers gladly, she gulped them down along with the water before settling back into bed.    
  
“Thank you.” The Doctor spoke softly. “For risking your lives to rescue me. You’re a brave bunch and a great fam to have. I should really treat you all”   
  
They all laughed. “Doctor” Yaz took her hand again. “You already treat us everyday by showing us the wonders of the universe in a time machine! You don’t need to give us any more than that. You just focus on getting yourself feeling better.”   
  
“Yeah, the things you’ve shown us, Doc… Well, nothing can really compare to that.” Graham thought about all the places she had shown them, all the time periods even. “Things we can’t even speak to people back home about. It’s our secret but it’s the best secret and we can’t thank you enough.”   
  
Ryan nodded, unsure on what else to say. Yaz and Graham got it spot on.    
  
“Hm, okay.” The Doctor said, sounding almost unconvinced. “But you are my fam. You stick by me despite me telling you all the risks that are involved around me. You care about my wellbeing.” The painkillers were starting to kick in now and the cool cloth on her head felt more soothing than ever. She could feel herself getting sleepy again, something which the three of them noticed, smiling. It was just like the Doctor to try and force herself to stay awake.    
  
“Well, we’re not going anywhere.” Yaz stroked her hair, pushing a loose strand behind her ear. Let yourself sleep and we’ll be here when you wake up. Then we can see about getting some food into you, okay? You need energy after the long day you’ve had.”   
  
The Doctor nodded weakly, letting her eyes close. “Okay” She whispered. “My fam.”


End file.
